FDA approves AbbVie's HCV infection drug Mavyret

AbbVie noted that around 3.4 million Americans are chronically infected with HCV.
AbbVie noted that around 3.4 million Americans are chronically infected with HCV. | File image

AbbVie's once-daily treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, Mavyret, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"The clinical trial program for Mavyret resulted in high cure rates across a range of patient populations, from those who have never been treated and who do not have cirrhosis, all the way to patients with compensated cirrhosis," Dr. Fred Poordad, professor of medicine at University of Texas Health Center in San Antonio, said in a statement. "This approval helps achieve physicians' goals of delivering effective options for a broad range of patients."

AbbVie noted that around 3.4 million Americans are chronically infected with HCV, and the infection is particularly common among people with severe chronic kidney disease (CKD). AbbVie created Mavyret to cure HCV across all major genotypes and specific challenges, such as patients with HCV and severe CKD.

"With Mavyret, physicians and patients now have a treatment option that is highly effective and has the potential to cure the majority of HCV patients in as short as 8 weeks, regardless of genotype," Dr. Michael Severino, executive vice president and research and development and chief scientific officer at AbbVie, said.